Week 2
Welcome to week 2 in our study of Wonderfully Made, by Allie Marie Smith! I feel like I’m already learning, growing, and gaining new insights; what about you?!
Just in case you missed last week, you can catch-up here, but let’s go ahead and just jump right into week 2!
Notes from my reading journal-
CHAPTER 4-
Bible passages found within this chapter:
*Just like last week, I feel a deeper connection when I actually have my Bible out and read through these passages in my Bible. I encourage you to not only flip to the verses noted throughout Allie’s writings but also to read a verse before and a verse after to get you in right context of these verses!
Genesis 1:27
Psalm 8:3-6
Romans 1:21-23
Notes:
At the very end of this chapter, one sentence jumped out at me- “We cease striving.”
This past week at church, our sermon was on “just stop” Our pastor of course presented this much more eloquently than I’ll be able to but the gist was that we’ve all been living through a pandemic for 2 years. In that time, we’ve been working at home, juggling kids, schools have closed, we’re all trying to stay healthy, recover, keep others healthy- in a giant game of cooties where the rules keep changing and none of us have a clue what we’re doing! But despite this seemingly never-ending, constantly changing, exhausting, overwhelming, world we’re living in, what do we say when someone asks how we are? “Busy, but good” “Oh you know, just a little hectic (cued fake laughter)” “Well we’ve had a lot going on but we’re ok” “Just keeping our head above water” “We’re just taking it one day at a time”
Have you said these things over the past 2 years? I HAVE!! But really what we all mean is “I’m drowning and I don’t know how I’m going to make it another hour, much less continue on in this open ended pandemic!” So we all need, at some point, TO STOP! Stop and ugly cry; stop and crumble into a ball on the floor; JUST CEASE STRIVING! You are having to be everything to everyone trying to take care of everything and keep everyone happy, at all times?! What if for at least a moment, you just stopped? Our Heavenly Father loves you and wants to care for you, so let the pieces fall and wholeheartedly lean on Him.
I know that’s a slightly different angle than Allie is presenting here; she is coming more from the angle of cease trying to look like, sound like, be like everyone else and just be the you that God created, because you were created in His perfect image. But I would like to venture in saying that the same applies- you were created in His image; however, just like a copy of a copy might be a little different or an image in the mirror might be a little off- you were created by Him to be in His image, not to BE HIM! So let Him be everything to everyone- you can’t! Let Him carry the weight of the world- you can’t! Let Him constantly worry about the pandemic and how to juggle all the pieces constantly flying around your head- because simply you can’t; it’s all just too much!! So what if you were to “cease striving” Be the you He created and leave everything else to The Original, The One, The Only, God!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
To be made in God’s image means to me that, again, He made us, He made us for a purpose, so it’s not up to us to try to look like, sound like, be like anyone other than the person He made us to be- the person he made mirroring Himself. It’s our job to mirror the qualities of Jesus and be a light in this crazy, broken world. While the truth that I bear God’s image should give me the self-confidence, and self-acceptance that prevents me from trying to constantly mirror the world’s ideals, I have to be truthful with myself and you and honestly admit- I often forget that! In order to be an image bearer of God to a world desperate for love and truth, we need to show the world love and truth. We should not be the ones causing strife and spreading hate. We need to have the same accepting, welcoming, love for others that our Heavenly Father shows us.
CHAPTER 5-
Bible passages found within this chapter:
Psalm 139: 13-14
Psalm 139:16
1 Corinthians 6:19
Notes:
As much as I agree with all of Allie’s words here about being “fearfully and wonderfully made” and not basing our self-worth on our body image, I can’t help but think- isn’t the same true for our lives? Yes, we shouldn’t worry so much about our looks, but maybe we should worry so much about ALL. OF. IT! Do I have enough education? Do I have the right job? Maybe if I study harder and get higher grades? I NEED that promotion! It would all be different if I had a different job, house, car! A baby will fix it, or another baby- maybe we need a dog!! There’s always something- something we are striving for, yearning for, working toward- because afterall the next step will be the “right” step that fixes everything and makes us happy, right?! BUT what if instead of any of that- we take Allie’s advice here and just enjoy this miraculous life God blessed us with, the one He actually assigned us- not the one we decided we needed to be happy!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
OF COURSE! Don’t we all sometimes struggle with believing our value; and maybe not even believing our value, sometimes I think it’s more seeing our value. We all do so many things for so many different people and in the many different facets of our life, that I think we maybe miss or don’t realize the important role we play and the value we actually bring. Being wonderfully made, to me, means that we are made in awe/ in wonder- beautifully, admirably, INTENTIONALLY. I would like to think that I can praise God with my life by using my life to glorify HIM; but my hope would be that I am also praising Him by enjoying my life. My proudest accomplishments in life are my children and my absolute hope for them is that they are happy; I hope they always feel loved and wholeheartedly accepted. I absolutely love it when they are happy. But it’s a fine line, right? Obviously as their parent, sometimes I have to reprimand them or do something that upsets them, so it can’t be my sole purpose to always make them happy- but :) that feeling I get when they are happy! Right?! If you have kids, you know that feeling- that everything-is-right-in-the-world-feeling. They are smiling, they are giggling, they are being them without a care in the world- and as gleeful as they may be- I guarantee you, it isn’t as happy as my heart is when I get to experience those moments through their eyes. All that to say, I would imagine it may be similar for God, when He sees us living in our “sweet spot.” Living the life He assigned us, in the body He blessed us with, AND ENJOYING IT. So I think the best way to praise Him for this life, is to LIVE IT.
CHAPTER 6-
Bible passages found within this chapter:
Acts 17:28
1 Corinthians 10:31
James 1:17
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
Absolutely, definitively, it is obvious that the majority of people in our culture today are living for themselves and their own glory. People often don’t care about anyone other than themselves. They don’t care who they hurt or who they use along the way, as long as they look good and come out ahead. To change that narrative and give God the glory in one’s life, certainly isn’t an easy task; however, it would mean a complete overall and major change in the way one thinks, feels, and acts. Giving God the glory means letting go of control issues and relinquishing pride; it basically says anything I’ve accomplished, anything I am, anything I have- isn’t because or for me at all, it’s all for God, from God, and should therefore glorify God. I sincerely hope that I can glorify God with this blog; my hope is that I glorify Him by pointing others toward God and by sharing my story.
CHAPTER 7-
Bible passages found within this chapter:
John 15:1-2
John 15:4
Ephesians 1:3
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Galatians 5:22-23
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
If my life were a garden, it would be overgrown! Not necessarily with weeds- but you know those gardens you see sometimes and think I bet that started out nice but then the flowers keep growing and multiplying and before long the garden is bursting at the seams and the path is kind-of overgrown? I try to always follow God’s will for my life, and for the most part, I think I do; I just often feel overwhelmed with it all! Take care of the family, serve the church, work full time, be a good friend, show Christ’s love to others, take care of yourself- did you drink your water today? what about a workout? Why don’t you just slow down and take a breath?! You know the feeling- where you aren’t doing anything “bad” there’s just always SO MANY THINGS and they are all on fire, all at the same time- that’s what my garden is!
So as I’m typing this, it hits me- maybe THAT is my weed! The overwhelming busyness that sometimes keeps me out of the Bible or interrupts my prayer time! Is the devil using my desire to be everywhere at all times and be everything to everyone as my kryptonite?! To Allie’s point- perhaps it is time for me to do some weeding and pull some of that excess from my schedule! But how do you pick? I mean, afterall- wasn’t that one of the reasons I started this blog and even this particular study? I want to find God’s will for my life! I want to evaluate my priorities and make sure they are in the correct alignment- but then isn’t that just effectively adding one more thing to my to-do list?! Ok, maybe I’m spiraling a little so I should take a moment and end this week’s study with a prayer:
“Dear Lord,
Please lead, guide, and direct me in all I do. Help align my life with your purpose for me and help me to identify the weeds that have crept into the garden of my life. Show me dear Lord what needs to be simplified and what needs to be prioritized so that I can fulfill your purpose and not allow Satan to use my busyness to distract me from You!
In Your Son’s precious and holy name I pray,
Amen”
I would love to “hear” some of y’all’s thoughts! Comment on here or hop over to Instagram to comment or send me a message! Stay tuned next week as we reading chapters 8-11 and keep going deeper into this journey! Love you, friends!
